And the Walls Come Tumbling Down
by Sara Wolfe
Summary: Desperate to save Wyatt, Chris makes a decision that changes everything. Now, it's a race against the clock to save his and Paige's lives.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **This is a request fic written for **iHATEfangirls**, who wanted: _season six Chris nightmare/mental torture one-shot_. Well, the one-shot kind of exploded on me, but the nightmare/mental torture part certainly shows up in later chapters. **iHATEfangirls**, I hope you enjoy.

**And the Walls Came Tumbling Down**

**Chapter One**

"The only reason I came back from the future is to stop Wyatt from turning evil."

"Turning evil?" Leo asked, suspiciously, glaring at Chris.

"Don't you mean stopping evil from hurting him?" Paige asked, disbelief in her voice.

"I didn't think that you'd help me if you knew the truth," Chris said, tiredly. "I knew you wouldn't." He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the bombshell he was about to drop on them. "The evil from the future that I came back to stop isn't a demon. It's Wyatt."

Piper rocked back on her heels, looking like Chris had just slapped her. It killed him to know that he'd been the one to put that look there.

"You're lying," she said.

He could hear a note of desperation under the anger in his mother's voice, could practically hear her pleading with him to say that it wasn't true. That her baby boy wasn't going to grow up to be the future of all evil.

_'I wish I could, Mom,'_ he thought, in response to her unspoken question.

"No, I'm not," he told them, willing them to see that he was finally telling them the whole truth. "He's going to grow up and terrorize people with his powers. Kill, even."

"Why should we believe you after all the lies?" Leo demanded, and that was more familiar, the impatient tone of a man who had no time for his youngest son.

"Because you have to," Chris insisted, frustrated with their lack of cooperation. Couldn't they see that he was just trying to protect them, protect Wyatt?

_'Maybe if you'd been completely honest with them from the beginning,'_ a nagging little voice perked up in the back of his mind. _'They need to know everything. Then they'll believe you. They'll have to.'_

"Because you have to believe me," Chris repeated, softer, his heart pounding frantically in his chest at what he was about to do. "Because I'm here to save my family." At their blank looks, he elaborated, "Because I'm your son."

Complete silence greeted his statement. He would have laughed at the absolutely stunned expressions on their faces, if the situation hadn't been so dire. As it was, their lack of reaction was starting to worry him, an uneasy feeling stirring in the pit of his stomach as they just stared at him in shock.

"Didn't you hear me?" he demanded, when several seconds passed without anyone so much as blinking.

"Oh, we heard you," Piper said, quietly, and then her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "But, I don't believe you."

"What?" Chris yelped, staring at his mother in disbelief.

"Piper!" Paige exclaimed, but her cry went unheeded by the eldest Halliwell.

"This is just another lie, isn't it?" Piper demanded, glaring at Chris. "Just another way that you're trying to manipulate us into doing God knows what."

Chris let out a short, bitter laugh. "Why would I lie about this?" he asked, incredulously. "What would I possibly have to gain?"

"I don't know," Piper said, shortly, "and, frankly, Chris, I don't care. I'm just tired of all your lies."

"But, I'm telling you the truth," Chris insisted, feeling as though he was standing on the edge of a cliff, perilously close to falling off.

"You're not my son," Piper bit off, and the words were like a knife to his heart. "Wyatt is my son, and I am going to get him back. And when I do, I don't want to see you anymore."

"Piper, stop this," Paige broke in as she moved protectively closer to Chris.

She glared at her sister when she was ignored, yet again, as Piper stalked across the attic toward where Phoebe and Leo were standing. Turning, Piper leveled a glare at her youngest sister that could have frozen water.

"Are you coming with us?" she demanded, her tone clipped and impatient.

Paige shot Chris a sympathetic look, and Chris gave her a quick nod of understanding. Wordlessly, Paige crossed the attic to stand beside her sisters, grabbing their arms.

"I'm sorry," Chris whispered, regret in his voice.

Paige gave him a tiny, reassuring smile, and he could almost imagine the fight that she was going to have with Piper once everything was done and Wyatt was safe, again.

_'At least I've got you in my corner, Aunt Paige,'_ he thought, and then he orbed out of the attic.

He orbed into the Underworld, into the ceremonial altar space where he could sense Wyatt being held. The link between him and his little-big brother was weak, and it was clear that the Order had tried to block Wyatt from being sensed by anyone, but they hadn't been as thorough as they'd thought.

And, just like he'd hoped, Paige, Piper, and Phoebe orbed into a secluded alcove on the opposite side of the open area a few seconds later. He'd left a clear trail in his wake, and Paige had followed him straight to where Wyatt was.

Paige gave him a quick thumbs-up when she saw him, but then she winced a second later. It was pretty clear that she was getting an earful from Piper, who looked decidedly less than happy to see him, and since he was out of earshot, his only ally was getting the full force of Piper's wrath.

But, to his surprise, Paige jerked a hand in a slashing motion across her throat, a clear indication to Piper to stop talking, and her older sister stared at her in shock. Paige ignored the stormy look on Piper's face to look over at Wyatt, glancing back at him with a questioning look on her face.

_'Draw their attention,'_ he mouthed, hoping that she could understand him.

Paige nodded, a second later, grabbing her sisters' wrists and orbing away. The three of them reformed in the middle of the altar, surprising the demons in the middle of their chanting. One of the demons threw an energy ball that Paige deflected back at him, incinerating him, instantly. Piper blew another two up, and Phoebe attacked a demon and drove him toward Paige, who dispatched him with a dagger in the heart.

Infuriated, the rest of the Order closed in on them, leaving the leader to grab Wyatt and make his escape. And that was when Chris made his move.

Darting out from his hiding spot, he sprinted across the open space, lunging forward to tackle the demon. The demon managed to shimmer out of his grasp, though, reappearing a few feet away, with a taunting smirk on his face.

"Not good enough," the demon mocked him, shifting Wyatt to his hip as he summoned an energy ball into his free hand. "And now you're going to die."

"Get your damn hands off my son!" Piper yelled, suddenly, from behind him, and for a wild moment, Chris let himself pretend that she was talking about him.

He scrambled to his feet in time to see his mother and aunts come charging forward, fury clear on their faces, and he felt a moment of pity for the demon. Then, when they were just a few feet away, Wyatt's shield suddenly appeared, sending them flying backward.

_'Damn it,'_ he thought, angrily, to himself. _'I should have known that was going to happen.'_

He spared a quick glance over at his family, to make sure that they were all right, and then he ran toward the demon. The demon was smirking up until Chris came straight through the force field like it wasn't even there, and then his expression morphed into one of confusion.

"How did you – this isn't possible!" the demon spluttered, and Chris smirked at him, humorlessly.

"I'm pretty good at the impossible," he told him.

With a wave of his hand, he summoned Wyatt into his arms, settling his brother securely on his hip. Wyatt didn't protest being held by him, and Chris marveled at the small show of trust that he'd been given.

Then, he snapped a hand out, sending the demon telekinetically flying across the open space to disappear somewhere beyond the stones that marked the altar. Wyatt's shield dropped as soon as the demon was away from him, and Chris silently cheered. Looking over, he watched Piper come closer to him, a suspicious look in her eyes.

"Pick up the scepter and point it at Wyatt," he said, nodding at the wand lying on the ground. "Trust me," he added, emphatically, when Piper still looked doubtful.

Slowly, her eyes never leaving him, Piper bent and grabbed the scepter off the ground. She pointed it at Wyatt and a beam of blue light shot from the wand and into his eyes. Wyatt blinked as the light disappeared, and then he orbed into Piper's arms, a smile on his face.

"Hey, sweetie," Piper cooed at Wyatt, and Chris felt his heart break when he immediately ceased to exist to his mother.

He cheered up a little bit when Paige moved to stand beside him, an affectionate smile on her face as she gave him a one-armed hug.

"Good job," she said, softly, nodding at Wyatt, who was being fussed over by Piper and Phoebe. "We couldn't have done it without you."

"You wouldn't have had to, if I'd been able to stop the Order before they grabbed Wyatt," Chris muttered, wincing sheepishly when Paige elbowed him gently in the side.

"None of that," she admonished him. "You're going to bask in your well-deserved praise, got it?"

"Got it," Chris agreed, quietly, with a small smile.

Then, his eyes widened in shock when he saw the leader of the Order climbing to his feet, an energy ball in his hand. From the expression on Paige's face, she saw the danger as soon as he had, and even as he was drawing breath to shout a warning to Piper and Phoebe, Paige was waving a hand at her sisters.

"Home!" she shouted, and a cloud of orbs surrounded Piper, Phoebe, and Wyatt.

They disappeared into thin air just as the energy ball passed through the spot where they'd been standing. A second later, the energy ball hit Chris in the chest, throwing him backward.

"Chris!" Paige yelled, as he flew through the air, and she was running to his side even as he crashed to the ground.

She skidded to a stop beside him, pulling him up into her arms as she knelt beside him. Chris started to thank her, but then he croaked out a warning when he saw another energy ball headed her way. Paige twisted around, throwing her hand up in time to deflect the energy ball with her powers.

But, she wasn't quick enough to stop the one coming right on the heels of the first, and Chris heard her scream in agony as her hand and arm were painfully burned. A second later, she collapsed across his chest as another energy ball struck her in the back, sending her sprawling forward.

Over Paige's shoulder, Chris could see the demon advancing on them, a cruel smirk on his face. Then, he felt Paige's hands tighten on his arms in an almost painful grip. Startled, he glanced at her to see a fiercely determined look settle over her features.

Then, the world disappeared in front of his eyes in a swirl of orbs.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **You wanted mental torture, **iHATEfangirls**, you got mental torture. Little bit of an extra request in here, for **tinevisce**, who wanted to see Chris get a power advancement.

**Chapter Two**

_"Happy birthday, Chris!"_

_Chris grinned at the sight before him. He knew that his family had been planning a surprise party for him for the last few weeks, but he hadn't imagined this. _

_They were in the main floor of P3, and someone (probably his Aunt Paige) had transformed the dance floor into a bright, cheerful area. Streamers were hanging all over, and balloons were clustered around the ceiling. A banner reading 'Happy Fourteenth Birthday!' was stretched the length of the stage, and brightly wrapped presents were piled underneath. A table by the stage held a cake covered in candles. _

_His family was waiting for him down on the dance floor. Aunt Phoebe, Uncle Coop, and their daughters Prue and Penny. Aunt Paige and Uncle Henry, with their arms wrapped around each other, Henry's arms resting protectively on Paige's heavily pregnant stomach. And his mom beaming happily at him, a proud expression on her face. _

_He didn't see his dad, but he figured that, as usual, Leo was too busy with his duties as an Elder to come to his birthday party. His absence hurt, for a moment, but Chris resolutely pushed the feeling away. He wasn't going to let his father's thoughtlessness ruin his day. _

_"Well, little brother," Wyatt asked, cheerfully, slinging an arm around his shoulders, "did we surprise you?"_

_"Definitely," Chris told him, as they moved down the stairs into the club. "This is awesome. How did you guys manage all of this?"_

_"Aunt Paige," Wyatt answered, just like he'd expected. "She's been working like a demon to get this done on time."_

_"Thanks, guys," Chris said, still grinning, as he and Wyatt joined the rest of their family. "This is cool."_

_"You're welcome, angel," Paige told him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. "You deserve it."_

_"Paige is right," Piper said, hugging him next. "Happy birthday, honey. I love you, so much."_

_"I love you, too, Mom," Chris murmured, hugging her back. _

_"Enough gushy stuff!" Phoebe's oldest daughter, Prue, called out, suddenly, as everyone burst out laughing. "We want cake!"_

_Two hours later, the party was in full swing. Music was booming from a stereo on the stage, and everyone was having a blast. Coop was dancing with both of his daughters, holding their small hands in his own, as Phoebe watched them with an affectionate look on her face. Paige and Henry were sitting together at one of the tables, simply holding hands and basking in being together. It was clear to anyone with eyes how much his family loved each other, and Chris hoped that he could find someone, some day, that he cared about that much._

_"Having fun?" Piper asked, and he looked over to see his mom watching him. _

_"Yeah, I am," Chris told her. _

_"I'm sorry we couldn't invite any of your classmates," Piper told him, as she leaned against the stage, next to where he was standing. "But, there've been a lot of demon attacks, lately, and Paige pointed out that it might be safest if the party was just for family."_

_"No, this is cool," Chris hurried to reassure her. "I love it; thank you."_

_"Your dad wanted to be here," Piper started, but Chris cut her off. _

_"Can we not talk about Dad?" he asked, quietly. "Not – not now. I just want to enjoy the rest of my party."_

_Before Piper could say anything, they heard a strangled scream from the other side of the room. Chris snapped his head up, staring at Paige in horror – and at the Darklighter bolt jutting from her leg. As she collapsed, slowly, to the floor, Piper lifted her hands to blow up the Darklighter who'd attacked her, and then she gasped in shock to see Wyatt standing in front of Paige, a crossbow held in his hands. _

_"Wyatt?" Piper demanded, disbelief and fear in her voice. "Wyatt, what are you doing?"_

_"I'm so sorry," Wyatt choked out, and Chris could see tears running down his cheeks. "Mom, help me!"_

_Even as Chris exchanged an incredulous look with Piper, someone stepped out from behind Wyatt. He had a smug, satisfied expression on his face, and he was looking at Wyatt, possessively. _

_"Your boy is mine, now, witch," he said, smirking. "I control him. His will is mine."_

_"Let him go, you son of a bitch," Piper snarled, furiously, and the demon just laughed. _

_"Never," he retorted. "He is my instrument, and he will destroy you all."_

_"Dovek," Wyatt croaked out, suddenly. "Vanquishing spell in the Book-"_

_His voice suddenly cut off as Dovek snarled, tightening a hand into a fist. Even as Piper yelled in fury, lifting her hands to blow the demon up, Wyatt was stumbling between them, the demon using his body as a shield. _

_Wyatt's hand jerked up, the crossbow pointed straight at Paige's stomach – at her unborn baby – and Chris felt himself stop breathing. But, before Wyatt could fire the second bolt, Henry had charged the teenager with an enraged yell, surprising him and knocking him off balance. Wyatt staggered backward, dropping the crossbow, and Henry's momentum carried him to where Coop, Phoebe, and the girls were standing. _

_"Get them out of here!" Phoebe snapped, shoving Henry toward her husband as she ran across to room to Paige's side, pulling her sister to her feet. _

_Coop nodded, shortly, wrapping an arm around Henry's shoulders as both men grabbed the girls' arms, holding on to them, tightly. Then, Coop beamed all four of them away, leaving them alone with Wyatt and Dovek. _

_"Chris!" Phoebe yelled, craning her neck around to glance back at him. "Manor, now!"_

_Wrapping an arm around his mother's shoulders, Chris orbed them to the Manor, with Paige and Phoebe a second behind them. Paige collapsed as soon as they'd materialized, an expression of agony on her face as she curled around her injured leg. _

_"Get that out of her before it kills her," Piper snapped, her voice tight with anger, as Phoebe knelt down beside the youngest Charmed One._

_"Hey, Paige," she said, softly, as she gripped the shaft of the bolt. "Sweetie, this is going to hurt."_

_"Yeah, because it's been such a pleasant experience the other times," Paige gasped, weakly. "Just pull the damn bolt out."_

_Phoebe nodded, a determined expression settling on her face. She pushed the crossbow bolt until the poisoned tip had gone through the other side of Paige's leg, and then she snapped the head off, pulling the rest of the shaft out of Paige's leg. _

_Through it all, Paige had clenched her jaw, tightly, to keep from screaming. Her hands were clenched into fists, her nails drawing blood as they dug into her palms. But, she relaxed, marginally, once the bolt was out, slumping weakly on the floor. _

_"We need Leo," Piper started to say, but then, to Chris's horror, Wyatt and Dovek orbed into the Manor. _

_"Uh, Mom," he started, but Piper had already seen her oldest son. _

_"Stay with your aunt," she told him, pushing him gently toward Paige. "Heal her. Phoebe and I will hold Wyatt off."_

_"I don't know how to heal," Chris protested, weakly, but his mother ignored him as she and Phoebe sprinted into the other room. _

_"It's okay, angel," Paige gasped, as he took Phoebe's place beside her. "You can do this. Just tap into my power."_

_Chris nodded, wordlessly, reaching out and gripping his aunt's hands in his own. His hands were shaking, and his skin was cold and clammy with fear, but Paige just squeezed his hands, reassuringly. When he looked down at her, her eyes were fixed on him, steadily._

_"You can do this," she repeated, encouragingly, and Chris nodded, again. _

_He focused on Paige, tuning out everything except for her. Closing his eyes, he reached within, to the wellspring of power that existed deep inside, and then he let it fill him up until he was overflowing with it. _

_Opening his eyes, he looked at Paige, and almost dropped her hands when he saw her shining in front of him like a beacon. She was practically incandescent, almost painful to look at. _

_'What the hell?' he thought, stunned, as he took a quick look around, wondering if he was going crazy. 'Do all Whitelighters see this when they heal someone?'_

_"Chris," Paige whispered, her voice slurred with pain, and he looked down at her. _

_She was still glowing in front of his eyes, but there was an ugly, black spot on her leg where the crossbow bolt had hit her. Dark threads of energy were creeping out in all directions from the injury, the longest tendrils stretching toward her heart. _

_"No," Chris gritted out. _

_He reached out with his power, grabbing the tendrils and stopping them before they could go any further. Then, he started to force the tendrils back toward the dark spot, leaving the rest of Paige's body shining with that brilliant light. The dark threads fought him as he struggled to contain them, and several times, he almost lost his tenuous grip on the bunch. But, he just dug in his heels, holding on even tighter and forcing the tendrils backward. _

_Finally, he'd gotten all of the threads back into the dark spot, and he turned his attention to making the spot go away. He'd almost shrunk it to nothing when a wave of pain shot through him, breaking his concentration. _

_Crying out, Chris dropped Paige's hands like he'd just been burned. He whirled around, staring in horror at Wyatt, who had Phoebe suspended in midair, his hand wrapped around her throat. His other hand was stretched out to the side, telekinetically holding Piper in place, resisting her efforts to struggle out of his mental grasp. _

_Piper and Phoebe were glowing in front of his eyes, just like Paige. The demon, Dovek, standing nearby, was a mass of shadows, dark tendrils of energy radiating from his body. And, Wyatt – _

_Wyatt was glowing, like his mother and aunts, but the energy coming from Dovek was wrapped around his head and chest, the tendrils of dark shadows digging into his skin. And it tightened every time Wyatt tried to struggle against it, the energy pulsing and growing with his every movement. _

_Chris blinked in shock, the weird light disappearing from in front of his eyes as his vision returned to normal. He shook his head, trying to clear the disorientation that had settled over him. _

_"Wyatt!" he yelled, and his brother looked over at him, a tortured look in his eyes. _

_"Help me," he begged, his voice rough, like he was forcing the words out. "Chris, help me."_

_"Let him go!" Chris yelled, jumping up from the floor and running toward Dovek. _

_The demon simply gestured, and a blast of energy hit Chris, throwing him backward. He crashed, heavily, into Paige, hearing her grunt in pain underneath him, and he scrambled to get off her still-injured leg. _

_"Wyatt, fight it!" Chris begged, imploringly, and he could see his brother trying to listen. _

_But, Dovek growled, tightening one clawed hand into a fist, and Wyatt doubled over in pain. His face contorted in agony and he let go of both Phoebe and Piper to claw ineffectually at his head. Piper snarled in fury, throwing her hands out as she tried to blow up Dovek, but the demon simply shrugged off the blow. He hit her with a blow of his own that sent her crashing to the ground, and he struck Phoebe, as well, when she tried to intervene. _

_"Don't try to fight me, Wyatt," Dovek said, his voice a dangerous rumble. "You know you won't win."_

_"Leo!" Piper screamed, and even as the demon turned to glare menacingly at her, a swirl of bright lights heralded the Elder's arrival. _

_Leo landed between Piper and the demon, and Chris felt a rush of hope when he saw his father. For all his faults, Leo's love for Piper and Wyatt was absolute, and Chris knew he'd do anything to protect them. _

_And he did. When he saw the demon, Leo threw a bolt of lightning at Dovek, strong enough that it would have fried him to a crisp. Except that, at another gesture from Dovek, Wyatt straightened up, catching the lightning in the palm of his hand. _

_There was a dull, lifeless look in his brother's eyes, and his hands were shaking as he moved almost robotically between Dovek and his family. _

_"Please," he whispered, the words broken through the sobs choking him. "Please don't make me do this."_

_From the tormented look in his eyes, Dovek was whispering in his mind, again. Wyatt looked like he wanted to die, and Chris wondered what could be worse than Dovek ordering him to attack his own family. _

_"Please," Wyatt pleaded, finding the strength to look back at the demon. "Please, stop."_

_"Be a good little puppet, Wyatt," Dovek said, with a smirk. "Kill Mommy and Daddy."_

_"No!" Chris screamed, his words echoed by Paige, who was still on the ground behind him. "Wyatt, fight!"_

_He scrambled to his feet, sprinting toward the living room, again. But, this time, instead of being repelled by Dovek, he hit the shield that Wyatt had thrown up around the living room. One that he couldn't orb into, and from the frustrated look on his father's face, one that Leo couldn't orb out of. _

_"Kill them," Dovek repeated, insistently. "Do it, Wyatt."_

_Wyatt was sobbing, openly, now, but he held out a hand, conjuring a dagger into his palm. Then, faster than anyone else could move to stop him, he'd grabbed Phoebe by her long hair, jerking her toward him. He pulled her head back, exposing her neck, and, with a vicious swipe of the dagger, slashed her throat from ear to ear. _

_Piper screamed, a high-pitched keening sound, like a dying animal. Beside her, Leo had gone white with shock, staring in horror at his son and the demon controlling him. Before either of them could do anything, Wyatt had palmed the bloody dagger, summoning a Darklighter's crossbow into his free hand. One quick twitch of the trigger, and a bolt was sticking out of Leo's stomach, blood leaking from around the wound as he fell. _

_That left just Piper, and she backed up, slowly, a frightened, pleading expression in her eyes. She held her hands out in front of her, trying to freeze either Wyatt or Dovek, but both of them were unaffected, and Wyatt continued his slow advance towards her. _

_"Wyatt," she pleaded, softly, tears running down her cheeks. "Baby, don't do this."_

_"I'm so sorry, Mom," he whispered, roughly. "I can't – please forgive me."_

_"Leave her alone!" a hoarse voice screamed, next to Chris, and he looked over in shock to see Paige standing beside him. _

_She'd dragged herself across the room to the shield, and had gotten to her feet even though the effort of simply standing was clearly killing her. She was pale, and shaking, and her skin was covered in a sheen of sweat, but there was a murderous glare in her eyes as she focused on the demon. _

_"Take me, you son of a bitch!" she yelled at him, slamming her hands into the shield, making the energy flare up at the impact. "If you want someone, then come after me, you bastard!"_

_"Oh, your time will come, witch," Dovek said, flapping a hand at her, dismissively. "Just be patient." Turning to Wyatt, his gaze sharpened as he added, "Enough fooling around, Wyatt. Finish her."_

_"No!" Chris screamed, as he threw himself at the shield, trying to physically force his way through. _

_The energy of Wyatt's magic felt like he was being stung by a million bees all at once, and he couldn't do anything more than beat helplessly on the glowing, blue-white shield. The feeling of being electrocuted increased every time he struggled against the shield, and black spots started dancing in front of his eyes. _

_He pounded his hands on the shield, fighting to get through as he watched Wyatt continue his slow advance toward Piper. He looked on in horror as Wyatt grabbed Piper by the throat, very similar to how he'd been holding Phoebe, earlier, and he tensed himself for the inevitable. _

_But, a gesture from Dovek had Wyatt freezing in place, an expression of pure agony twisting his features. Dovek was looking between Wyatt and Chris, and a slow, cruel smirk curved on his lips. _

_"Wyatt," he said, in a sing-song voice. _

_He came up right behind Wyatt, whispering something in his ear, and Wyatt desperately tried to shake his head. But, Dovek traced a claw down the side of Wyatt's face, drawing a thin line of blood in its wake, and Wyatt shuddered away from the demon's touch. _

_As Dovek stepped back, still smirking, Wyatt turned his head to look at Chris. Fresh tears were streaking down his face, mingling with the blood from the cut on his face. He was covered in Phoebe's blood, the dark liquid staining his hands almost black. _

_"Say it," Dovek prompted, encouragingly, and Wyatt's breath hitched out in a sob. _

_"Say good-bye, little brother," he gritted out, the words clearly being torn from his throat. _

_Mutely, Chris shook his head. He pressed his hands flat on the shield, trying to will some of his strength into his brother, but it had no effect. As he and Paige watched, helplessly, Wyatt tightened his hand on Piper's throat. _

_His mother clawed weakly at Wyatt's hand, her fingers scrabbling uselessly at his iron grip. She let out a choked gurgle, and then her head lolled back on her neck. There was blood leaking from her eyes, her nose, and her ears, and when Wyatt opened her hand and let her fall, limply, to the floor, Chris could see the dark outline of his fingers on her throat. _

_On the floor, Piper was stirring, weakly, and Chris had a moment to pray that Dovek hadn't noticed. But, the demon gestured, and Wyatt knelt down beside his mother, brandishing the bloody dagger that he'd stabbed Phoebe with. _

_"No," Chris whimpered, as the world started to go gray around the edges of his vision. _

_Slowly, tears pouring down his face, Wyatt lifted the dagger above his head in a jerky motion. Then, he plunged the dagger into Piper's stomach. _

_Chris howled in agony, throwing himself against the shield with renewed vigor. The world was closing in on him, and even as he struggled against it, he crashed into blackness, succumbing to unconsciousness. _

** XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Paige ran her fingers through Chris's hair, smoothing his sweaty locks away from his forehead. He'd collapsed as soon as they'd fallen out of her hasty orb, passing out from the pain of his injuries. She hadn't thought that he'd been hit that hard by the demon's energy ball, but she'd been wrong. His chest was a mangled mess, ugly burns covering his entire torso.

He moaned, suddenly, moving anxiously, and Paige quickly shushed him, looking around in a panic. She relaxed only when his involuntary sound didn't bring a horde of demons down on their heads.

"It's okay, Chris," she murmured, softly, rubbing his shoulder with her uninjured hand as she tried to soothe him out of the nightmare he seemed to be having. "It's okay, you're safe here. I'm not going to let anything hurt you."

But, her words didn't seem to be reaching her unconscious nephew, and Paige sighed, heavily, leaning back against the rocky wall of their impromptu hiding spot, cradling her badly-burned hand carefully against her chest.

She hadn't had the strength to orb them back to the Manor, not with the severity of her own injuries; she'd barely been strong enough to orb them to a relatively safe part of the Underworld. Not that any of this was particularly safe, but at least no one was throwing energy balls at them.

_'Yet,'_ a rebellious part of her mind chimed in, and she reluctantly had to agree.

It was only sheer luck that had kept them from being found, so far, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that the longer that she and Chris stayed down in the Underworld, the more danger they would be in.

_'Come on, Piper, Phoebe,'_ she thought, trying to force away the feeling of despair that threatened to overwhelm her. _'We need you. Where are you?'_


End file.
